Chair Massage: Relieve Pain Faster

You’re feeling it, the dread of returning to the office after a nice long weekend. Back to the stress of the workplace, the boss, the co-workers. Surely there’s some sort of relief from all of this (short of a two-week vacation to Bermuda!) These days, some offices are allowing everything from on-site child-care, in-house pharmacies to naps. Now, guess what’s becoming commonplace – chair massage. It is a relative low-cost way to help get through the day, and is far less expensive than other employee benefits.

Massage is the manipulation of superficial layers of muscle and connective tissue. This is done to enhance function and promote relaxation and well-being. If you are looking to modern medicine to cure your issues, maybe you are looking in the wrong place. The art of massage dates way back, back to over 3000 years. It has been documented by the ancient Hindus, Persians and Egyptians. They all applied forms of massage for many ailments. Hippocrates even wrote papers recommending the use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory problems. Are you interested in finding how this art of massage is practiced? Many, many, many methods, over 250 to be precise, are used. Some of these are tapping, kneading, vibration, rocking, applying pressure to muscles, stroking and compression!

The art of massage became popular in the US in the 1800’s. It had a surge of popularity until the 1930’s and 40’s. When modern medicine came to the forefront, the art of massage therapy became discounted as lesser than . Suddenly, it became popular again in the 1960’s and 1970’s when nurses began to use it to relieve pain in patients. It again gained credibility when, in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta it was used as core medical service. Are you convinced? Do you want what’s good enough for an Olympian?

Some employees merit extra bonuses! In some situations, office managers will hire therapists to come to their business. There are some proven advantages to both employee and employer. It can be an incentive for performance, or just a kind gesture. The therapists will come in the morning or afternoon. These employees will perform better, have a decrease in stress and an improvement in blood circulation. Lower blood pressure and a decrease in muscle ache will ensue. Sitting at a desk, eyes on the computer can take its toll.

What do you think contributes to most office-related physical symptoms? Believe it or not, they can be attributed to loss of circulation. The muscles tighten up as a result of sitting behind a desk all day, especially at a work station that is not ergonomically designed, this, and stress can impede blood and lymph flow through the body. The result is a decrease in energy, the inability to think clearly, along with susceptibility to repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome. Not only does chair massage benefit employee, but it can also benefit employer. If an employee is pain free and relaxed the productivity of the individual increases, his/her stress level is lowered. The result is fewer absentees and a decrease in workers compensation. If your office workers are happy, they will be more productive workers! If your office doesn’t offer this, maybe you can find a local massage salon that provides this service. I know it’s something I could definitely use. Surely being home raising 3 girls merits some relief!